Wednesday, December 28, 2011

This morning as I was combing my hair for work, Leila came out of her room and stood by the bathroom door watching me. After telling me that "Kitty was scared" (since everything is SCARED right now) I asked if she wanted to sit on the potty?

"Yeah" (all calm like...)

So I sit her on the potty while I continue combing my hair. A few minutes later, there was a little tinkle in the potty. She looks at me and says quietly, but with excitement in her eyes "I did it!" She got some toilet paper, wiped her body, jumped off, flushed the toilet, then went to lay down to put a new diaper on. She acts like this is an old habit already.

Thursday, December 22, 2011

When Shawn and his family were in Utah, the other half of their family stayed in my parents backyard. Darla is the Bull Mastiff on the left and Hank is the Boxer on the right. They are both pretty awesome dogs in their own rights.

Anyway, Leila LOVES dogs. However, she is also allergic to them (which means we will never have to own one!) Her babysitter has a dog and our neighbors have a dog. That will be good enough. So, you THINK, she should be scared of these large dogs. NOPE. Not at all. In fact, I think she is less scared of them than Kiley is (who lives with them!)

EVERY day she wanted to feed them. Often times, that is how we would get her do quit crying or to do something she was asked...by bribing her that she could feed the dogs. It was great. The dogs are gone. No more dog bribes. But she still talks about them frequently. Isn't she the cutest snot ever?

Darla is UP IN HER FACE. Not scared. She LOVED it.

When Shawn and Michelle loaded up to go, (Kiley stayed for a few days and flew out there with Grandma Ford) it was sad to see them go. It was so fun to have them visit for an extended stay. It was also sad to see the dogs go, just because I know how happy they made Leila.

I hear the argument ALL the time that Leila would love to have her own dog. Again, the babysitter has one and the neighbors have one. THOSE dogs are already cared for without my help. That sounds good to me!

I love to read blogs. I love to have my blog updated. I hate to factor in time to do it. Sorry.

When Shawn and his family were in the process of moving from the Pacific Coast to the Atlantic Coast, they stayed at my parents for about two weeks. The Saturday before Halloween, we went to Wheeler Farm. That place is pretty cool...if you have kids who are excited about farm animals. I loved these pictures on the tractor.Leila did not seem to be too scared by the animals.

She walked right up to every fence and just stared. She also loved to watch the ducks/geese. ESPECIALLY when she figured out that if grandpa or daddy held her, she could sit on the fence. We watched the birds for quite a while. We started to walk to the little Country Store to get a drink. Leila was running behind Kuso, and ahead of me. She tripped on a tree root and face planted. Hard. Like hard enough that Troy and Kuso HEARD her face plant. On the dirt. MOST times when she falls, she hops up and says "bing" then keeps going. Not this time. I was right behind her and when I picked her up, she was bloody. I think her top lip was cut from the inside from hitting against her teeth and her top teeth bit through the lower lip. BOTH lips were cracked and bleeding. There was a VERY brief moment when Kuso asked if we should take her to the hospital (in Samoan language that doesn't necessarily mean the emergency room...just to get checked by a doctor.) But we got some napkins and got her cleaned up. She cried and screamed and cried and screamed until grandpa bought food to feed the ducks.

He said "Wanna go feed the ducks"

"Yep." Done crying.

The next few days she would mention "my mouth hurts." But that has been the most dangerous injury she's had so far. As awesome as it would be for this to be the last time she gets hurt, I'm sure we'll have more experiencing healing wounds.Feeding the ducks AFTER the fall. Still content and happy.

But, as seen below, she clearly did not learn to not run because she and Kiley ran down this path. I love it.

Papa and his girls.

(Leila is playing "Find Leila!")

I think I'll try and take Leila back to the farm in the spring when there are some baby animals. AND it's got some cool places to take some pictures when we are ready to tackle that at some point.

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

My little (although I've been told by others to refer to him as my younger brother as he is much taller than myself) brother Shawn single handedly helped reduce the homeless population in North Carolina. He fed the homeless. He did their laundry. He helped them find showers. Provided a temporary roof over their heads. He found them a place to live.

Shawn was recently transferred with the Marines to North Carolina. As he, Michelle, and Kiley packed up their lives in California to head to the other ocean, their lives were uncertain at best. They did not know if they would have military base housing available, and wouldn't know until they got to North Carolina. They did not know how much time they would have to look for somewhere to live IF base housing wasn't available. They did not know if or how long they would be able to stay in temporary military housing while they found something long term. SO... the running joke was that they were homeless and unemployed.

All of those concerns have been corrected. Having found a house and working with the moving company to retain possession of their belongings, North Carolina's homeless population has been reduced by a man, a woman, a child, and two dogs.

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Leila has been SO cute lately. And funny. When Leila was just a baby I dubbed her as the "Mary Poppins Baby" (Practically Perfect in Every Way.) Well...that still applies (minus some of her bad habits that seem to be improving ie. eating/sleeping) Anyway, for history's sake, I need to write about some of her cuteness now. Enjoy.

*A couple weeks ago, Leila opened her door around 10:30 pm. NEVER a good sign of what's to come. She walked into my room, climbed up on Kuso's side of the bed (which is usually empty since he works out of town so much), arranged the pillows and got comfy. Then realized she forgot to get under the blankets, so she did. Then she rolled over so we were laying face to face. She says "Hi Mom." Well, I about melted when I looked into her big brown eyes. I asked her "Do you just want to snuggle with mom for a minute?" "Yep." And she did. For about a minute. THEN the REAL reason she came in surfaced..."I wanna watch Shrek." How could I say no?

*A few nights ago we had to run to WalMart to get a filter for our furnace. I also decided to buy a case of soda. When we were checking out, I lifted the case for the cashier to scan. As I put the case back on the bottom of the cart, the box tore open and cans rolled everywhere. Three of them broke open and were spraying soda all over the place. Well....the folks at WalMart finally figured out what to do about the situation and we were on our way. After getting everything in the car and we were driving out of the parking lot, Leila says "Mom!?" "What Leila?" "Mom a mess" (accompanied by giggles.) I said "Mommy made a mess?" "YEAH!" (accompanied by more giggles.) How cute is she? and how much trouble am I in if she already makes fun of me at age two!

*Leila LOVES to climb on and jump off anything. (It's not just for boys.) When she jumps to someone, she has perfect parachute form. Not hunched over and scared like most kids... she lays it all out...straight back, chest lifted...perfect. And she is strong so she jumps far. ANYWAY..back to my cuteness story. She also loves to climb on furniture and has ventured into climbing on the chair, then over to the couch, then jump down. We are working on having her not do this (more for the safety of the furniture). That night she had climbed on the couch and wanted to jump. I told her to get down. She started to get ready to jump then saw me watching. She looked at me, raised her elbows up, shakes her booty, and says "Fifa! Fifa!" (Siva! Siva! - Dance! Dance!) It is SO hard to get mad at and discipline her when she is SO funny.

*Last night, Leila walked into my bedroom again, a little after 10pm. Stands by the door and says "I wanna see mom." Climbed up into the bed, snuggled under the blankets, and laid there for a short time. Then she started the "Where's (fill in any name she knows here. ie Auntie, Kiley, Hank, Grandma, etc.)..all the while giggling and laughing with her beautiful, big smile. THEN...the REAl reason surfaced again "I wanna watch Shrek." It was that much funnier that it was the SAME movie associated with the SAME behaviors as last week.

I LOVE MY LITTLE GIRL. I have the most beautiful, talented, light hearted, amazing daughter ANYONE could want!

Leila LOVES the movie Gnomeo and Juliet. (and who wouldn't after seeing it...it is AWESOME!)Not sure when, but I had this great idea to make Leila dres up as Juliet for Halloween. The idea stuck. We found a pattern very similar to her dress, and my mom got busy.

The Final Result = ABSOLUTELY ADORABLE!

Seriously Folks...Could there be a CUTER gnome ANYWHERE on the planet? I doubt it. And Kiley makes a pretty dang cute Rapunzel as well! Kiley was SO funny in her dress. She walked SO prissy and princess-like. It was perfect!

Too bad Leila wouldn't wear her hat after these pictures were taken, so as we "trunk or treated" at my parents church, I carried that hat and hovered it over her head so people could get the full effect. We made the dress a little big, so next year she can be Little Red Riding Hood or a Pirate or maybe something totally different!

(btw...my brother and his family have been here since Friday before Halloween. I've got some adorable pictures from our trip to Wheeler Farm...but that will come later.)

Friday, October 21, 2011

Leila had her two-year-old check up with Dr. Brasher on the 18th (a month and a few days overdue, but putting it into October we were able to get her flu vaccination too.) Anyway...she is 35 1/4 inches tall and 31 lbs 11 oz. That puts her in the mid to up 70% for height and 92% on weight!

If the old wives tale that says "when you are 2 you are half the height you will grow to" is true, that puts Leila at around 5' 10.5". Nice. Leila...I hope your short mother doesn't slow you down! Although, most of her high school age cousins are around that same height too, so maybe she will grow tall...does anyone else hear a volleyball scholarship yelling her name? (a mom can wish can't she?)

Monday, October 17, 2011

Our babysitter has potty trained the kids that live at her house, and because Leila spends so much time there, I am leaving it to La's experience to let us know when it's time to start training...(plus I can't really MAKE her feel ready to try it.)

So a couple weeks ago she told me to "get the stuff" (to her that meant some pull ups and a portable potty.) I left it there this morning.

With the weather starting to chill out (although I'm LOVING the warm fall we have had so far) they won't be outside as much, making it easier to focus on the potty.

I really think that if we can get Leila to USE the potty once, she will pick it up really fast. She is already fascinated with everything potty.

She LOVES panties (and gets mad when she has to wear a diaper with them.)She LOVES to watch me or my mom use the potty - and offers us toilet paper when we are done.She LOVES that she has a potty - even though she won't use it for me.She tells us right AFTER she goes potty in her diaper (about 50-75% of the time.)She takes her own diaper off, and is starting to try and put her own on.

I think she knows what's going on, but just needs to figure out the right order.

Monday, October 3, 2011

This past weekend was General Conference. Sister Elaine Dalton - General Young Women's President gave the best talk. It was an answer that all father's ask themselves when blessed to be a father to one of our Heavenly Father's Daughters...

"How do I raise a girl?"

taken from the talk..."It is a simple answer and it is true — 'The most important thing a father can do for his daughter is to love her mother,'" she said. "By the way you love her mother, you will teach your daughter about tenderness, loyalty, respect, compassion and devotion. She will learn from your example what to expect from young men and what qualities to seek in a future spouse. You can show your daughter by the way you love and honor your wife that she should never settle for less. Your example will teach your daughter to value womanhood. You are showing her that she is a daughter of our Heavenly Father who loves her."...

..."Fathers, by definition, you are the guardians of your homes, your wives and your children. ... You must be the guardians of virtue."

"Your personal virtue will model for your daughters, and also your sons, what true strength and moral courage are. By being a guardian of virtue in your own life, in your home and in the lives of your children, you are showing your wife and daughters what true love really is. Your personal purity will give you power."She also asked fathers to be present in their daughters' lives."Let her know your standards, your expectations, your hopes and dreams for her success and happiness."Sister Dalton said Latter-day Saint fathers are "not ordinary men."

So, she concluded, "How do you raise a girl? Love her mother, lead your family to the temple, be guardians of virtue and magnify your priesthood. Fathers, you have been entrusted with our Heavenly Father's royal daughters. They are virtuous and elect. It is my prayer that you will watch over them, strengthen them, model virtuous behavior and teach them to follow in the Savior's every footstep — for He lives."I encourage each of you to take the time to read the entire talk. Her words are so perfect and inspiring. And since it is our roles as women to support our men in being honorable Priesthood holders, this talk applies to us as well. We need to let our husbands love us. That sounds simple. But when I reflect about how much has changed and developed in the five years Aukuso and I have been together, sometimes I need to let myself be that girl he fell in love with and put aside some of the things that have changed both of us, for good and for bad.

I love being a wife and I love being a mother. I'm excited for this challenge to let my husband love me so that he can live the answer about how to raise his daugter.

**There is another part of her talk that said something to the effect of "If your daughter is on a date, and is late, GO GET HER." L-O-V-E-D it.

Monday, September 19, 2011

Leila's REAL birthday was on Wednesday September 14th. This is her "practice" cake so she knew what to do with the candles for her party. She is a pro.

Kingston Uta'iSome of the presents (most I think)Some of the food. About half I think.I promised Leslie (who was my camera lady - THANKS) that I would put a picture of myself on the blog since I wasn't behind the camera...so here you go you lucky viewers!)Cheese!Cheese Again.Cheese AGAIN! (a little better)

Leila and Brooklyn (church friend) Brook is adopted by white parents. Her mom and I always joke that when they get older they are going to make fun of how WHITE their mom's legs are! That tricycle in the back is from daddy. He was so excited to get her a bike!Matai Uta'i - his shirt says it all!

My mom was worried about what I was going to do with all the little kids. I told her I was going to put ALL the balls that Leila has out in the yard. That's it. That's all they needed.Above: Any of you that read this often...remember that LARGE tree stump that was in our backyard - that turned into a summer long project to get it torn out? THIS is the "after" shot. Not too shabby for amateurs! btw...I'm SO glad that stump is gone. It was worth the work (even though I didn't do any of it) and the waiting. It's done and gone and makes our yard that much more functional.Leila modeling her presents - no one told her do that. She just did. Funny girl.

The "theme" was Mermaid. I originally bought these tattoos to put on the kids at the party. But then decided that was too much work and wasn't sure if some of the parents would be offended, so Leila was the only one with a MERMAID on her arm!

Shirlene Handy made a lot of our birthday cakes when we were young. I ran into her at the store a few times and told her I was going to have her make Leila's cake, so I did. AND she made 24 matching cupcakes to go with the cake. SO cute. So yummy.

Ready...

Happy Birthday Dear Leila....Happy Birthday to You! (BLOW)

Taste.

Taste Again.

Approval.Iafeta Aiono and Burton Uta'i

Leslie Uta'i (Ah Auntie) and The Birthday Bug

Thanks again Les for taking control of my camera so I actually have pictures to document the day!

We had a lot of friends and family show up. It was really simple (aside from the mass amounts of food) and really fun. Leila is definitely loved if her presents are any indication of love. She got lots of clothes and books and clothes and books and a couple of bikes (one for our house, one for grandmas) and a couple of small (noise free!!!) toys. The weather held out WONDERFULLY.

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Our Leila Bug is 2 years old today! She has been such a blessing in our lives. The past 2 years have been full of love, happiness, laughter, heartache, frustration, exhaustion, and every other emotion in between.

Right now Leila LOVES movies. Her favorites are Princess and the Frog, Gnomeo and Juliet, Tangled, Pocahontas, Lion King, Aladdin (newest addition to the mix), and Little Mermaid. She asks for each by name, knows when they are about to sing songs, dances during the songs, and knows when the movie is about to end and comes running for a new one.

Leila LOVES to play chase, especially with Grandpa Vic. She flirts and taunts with anyone who will chase her, but especially men. She is WILD. Loves to play rough with Daddy and Uncle Troy. When she falls down (even when she scrapes her elbow and is bleeding) she just jumps up, says "bing!" then continues on as if nothing happened. She is a dare devil. Loves to climb up slides and ladders by herself. Loves to swing as high as you will let her go.

Leila is mastering the art of throwing a fit. She gets really whiny, bounces up and down while she whines, throws her head back, falls to the ground, and on and on.

She is also learning to share. Kind of. When she wants to. She at least understands the concept of it...now we need to work on her sharing her things all the time, not just when she wants to.

Leila is not a very good sleeper. Most nights she goes to bed after 10pm. Then wakes up at some point wanting a "sssiiiiippppyyyyyy." Then goes back to sleep. Although the past few nights I've been able to get her in bed and leave her there while she is still awake and let her put herself to sleep after a book and a sippy.

She is also not a very good eater. She will eat chips and bread and milk and juice and an occasional chicken nugget or hot dog. She also usually likes pizza and potatoes and gravy. That's about it. She doesn't really like a lot of sweet stuff either. She likes a lot of Samoan food, but only if daddy is eating it with her. She eats other things, but not well, and not often. The past couple days have shown some improvement, but she is definitely a snacker, not an eater. We'll have to get that in check at some point.

Leila shows SOME interest in using the toilet to potty, but I think we've got a little longer on that before she will really be ready to give it a go.

Leila has natural mothering skills. She doesn't play with babies often, but when she does it amazes me how well she can take care of them. One of her babies actually cries when you touch it's feet, and drinks a bottle and "goes to sleep" - snoring sounds and all. When baby cries, she runs for the bottle. She holds the baby so soft and sweet, puts blankets on her, and shows the baby pictures and says, "Yook (look) baby."

Leila talks all the time. A lot. Pretty understandable to most people. She is very polite with Please, Thank You, Excuse Me, and Bless You. When she is throwing a tantrum, we always make her calm down to say "please" in a nice tone. That usually turns into "Please, nice." Some of the things she says sounds like she has an Italian accent. Eh bebe (a baby) Eh Seepy (a sippy) ah papa (granpa). She says eh or ah in front of almost every phrase she says. Eh Eh Eh Bwankie (blankie) Ah Matai (her future husband's name.) Ah Auntie. Ah Uncle. You get the picture.

She LOVES church and most mornings when we drive by our church on the way to the babysitter she points at it, says "church." Then "Pweeeease?" Often times I take her to my youth night activity, and we've been playing some volleyball on another night, and she loves nursery, so at a young age she associates church with fun. Hopefully she can continue those thoughts throughout her life.

I could go on and on about all the funny things she does and all of the frustrating things she does. Either way, we love her and are so grateful that we have the opportunity to be her parents. I couldn't ask for anything better.

**Today she will get to open her presents from mom and dad (even though daddy is out of town - boo) and maybe one from grandma and grandpa. Probably take her to dinner so she can "swide" at Chick Fil A. Then we are having a friend/family party on Saturday. HOPEFULLY I'll get around to taking a few pictures. Until then, just imagine how stinkin dang cute she is!

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

September 11, 2011 marked the 10 year anniversary of when terrorists attacked U.S. soil by hijacking airplanes and running them through the twin towers of the World Trade Center.

Their intent was to break the American Spirit. Little did they know that their attack would have the opposite affect. The American people united together as One Nation Under God. Although lives were lost, the attempted blow at hurting the American People was a feeble one. Regardless of economic status, leadership, crime rates, etc., The United States of America is the BEST place a person could ever live....if for no other reason but because we ARE One Nation Under God.

10 years ago I had NEVER heard of Osama bin Laden or Al Qaeda. Now those names are commonplace. It's surreal to think that my children will read and learn about this in their American History classes, then turn to me and say "you were alive when that happened? you remember that?" This is one of the marked events (along with the likes of Pearl Harbor, JFK being shot, the first moon walk, and the Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster) in history that regardless of circumstance, you remember where you were and how you felt that day. Those feelings may be suppressed over time, but just recalling the emotions and thoughts from that tragic day in American history renews those feelings as if they were new.

My family and I had the opportunity to visit Ground Zero in October 2002. At that time, the fence surrounding Ground Zero was still in tact as a barrier. Over a year later, the fence was still covered in shirts, posters, stuffed animals, balloons, etc with well wishes to those who lost their lives. Over a year later, those items attached to the fence still smelled like smoke. It was similar to a campfire smell, but eerily different. A nearby church was left open as a makeshift museum to show the scars on the benches from where the fire and police workers went to lay down for a few minutes of rest and left their marks with their utility belts. I'm glad we had the chance to visit Ground Zero. To be there in person to feel the solemn reverence that surrounds that plot of land.

I am proud to be an American. I know that our country is not perfect, but the religious freedoms and original ideals it was founded on gives me enough comfort in saying that we are truly blessed to be living in this great country we call home.

MOMBeing a mom has been the best thing to happen to me. As frustrated as I get, I get equally or even more excited when my little Leila Bug hollers out "MOM!" (even if it is for 30+ minutes at night because she doesn't want to go to sleep....) I love being a mom and I hope I'm doing a good enough job that my daughter and any future children will know that I love being a mom by the way they are treated.

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Aukuso has been kind of slow at work the past few weeks, so he has been spending a lot of time with Leila. When times like this happen, mom basically becomes non-existent unless daddy is gone. She wants nothing to do with me. (Which to be honest, is kind of a welcome break because when he is gone working so much, that leaves me to do EVERYTHING.) One of my favorite parts is that she wants daddy to take her to bed at night. If I go lay down with her, she pushes my shoulder and tells me to "move" and yells for daddy until he comes. Sorry honey, but thank you!

Last night Kuso was taking Leila to bed. She had fallen asleep on the couch, but when I laid her down, she woke up and pushed me, told me to move, and yelled for daddy. No surprise there. Well, daddy goes in to lay with her. He came out about 30 minutes later to get a sippy cup. I was REALLY surprised she was still awake after all that time. After she finally went to sleep, he told me what was going on.

Leila played with Kuso's face while he pretended to be asleep. After a while of running her fingers all across his face, she put one hand on his cheek, put the other hand on the other cheek, and kissed him...about 5 times. He cried. Then he laughed because he was crying. He thought it was so sweet that he told me about it several times before we went to sleep.

Our daughter is the most beautiful and precious gift that the Lord has blessed us with.

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Arranged marriages may not be common practice, but my BESTIE and I have decided that Leila and Matai will marry. PRIOR to Matai's mission, they are "cousins" so that there will not be any love interest there. AFTER Matai returns from his mission, then life will reveal itself that they are not REAL cousins and that yes, it's okay to like them. Yes, it's okay to love them. Yes, it's okay to marry them. And Yes, it's okay to make beautiful afatasi babies with them!

(How cute would that be...2 afatasi parents which adds up to making afatasi babies!)

Friday, July 29, 2011

Last night I was at another fast food restaurant with a play area with Leila...(do you see a theme in my life? It's really not that often, but it seems to be lately.) Anyway, as I'm ordering, Leila is standing on the floor next to me. This is how the conversation went:

Worker: Is that your daughter?

Me: Yes.

Worker: Is she adopted? Or is her dad....? (her words trail off to nothing)

(My thoughts: Or is her dad what? Black, Polynesian, Hispanic? Or is her dad a sperm donor that I picked from the bank and asked for chocolate flavored?)

Me: She looks like her dad. Her dad is Samoan.

Worker: Oh. (as she smiles sheepishly. She was kind of embarrassed.)

I thought it was hilarious. Because let's be honest, Leila looks nothing like me. I know this. I am actually surprised that for as many stores as I take her to, that no one else has asked before this!

I was reading a post about how certain people are in an uproar about a cross (a T-joint steel girder made out of steel) that was found among the rubble and preserved as a memorial of the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center is finally going to be unveiled this September as a memorial for the 10th anniversary of the biggest attack on American soil.

The complainers are upset that they would pick a Christian symbol. There were victims who were not Christian. And some of the ones who are Christians want it to be a "Lutheran" cross rather than just any old cross.

This is what one man (President of American Atheists) had to say. "The World Trade Center cross has become a Christian icon. It has been blessed by so-called holy men and presented as a reminder that their god, who couldn't be bothered to stop the Muslim terrorists or prevent 3,000 people from being killed in his name, cared only enough to bestow upon us some rubble that resembles a cross."

All I have to say is, "WOW...what will that man be held accountable for when his Judgement Day comes?" I would love to be there when our Heavenly Father welcomes him with open arms and continues loving him as he loves all of His children. I would love to see that man's eyes opened and heart softened as he hears and understands the message of the true gospel.

AND isn't it interesting that the only symbol found was a Christian symbol. To me, personally, that speaks volumes. GOD BLESS AMERICA. One Nation, Under GOD.

*Sorry...I don't usually get into controversial topics, but for some reason, this one hit me strong today.

About Me

My husband Aukuso and I were married on May 19, 2007. We were sealed in the Salt Lake Temple on August 9, 2008.
Aukuso works in construction building scaffold and I am a Juvenile Probation Officer.
We were blessed to welcome our daughter Leila into our lives on September 14, 2009. We were blessed again to welcome our son Sinave on March 1, 2013.